Haiti Earthquake

Shortly after the 2009 magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti, BCFS EMD deployed a medical strike team to Port-au-Prince that met the needs of thousands seeking help at one of only four acute care hospitals operational after the quake.

When BCFS EMD’s team arrived at Hospital Adventist, the scene was very chaotic. Patients tugged desperately at physicians and nurses to get their attention as they tended to others in need. Donated medications and surgical instruments were thrown into boxes stacked in hallways and makeshift supply rooms unorganized and undocumented. A tent city recovery ward for 150 patients was operating in the in front of the main hospital for victims who had undergone amputations and surgeries after the quake.

Normally functioning as a hospital for approximately 50 inpatients, Hospital Adventist had surged to more than 250 inpatients and another 300 or so individuals in triage and the emergency department.

Having responded to major medical incidents previously, including the 2004 Sri Lankan tsunami, BCFS EMD Incident Commander Kevin Dinnin stood before hospital leadership and recommended implementation of the U.S. National Incident Management System principals. With the help of a found white board, Dinnin conducted a meager just-in-time training on the Incident Command System (ICS) that brought administrators and top medical staff onboard with the new strategy. Within 24 hours of implementation, command and control of the hospital was achieved.

Dinnin implemented the ICS structure into all hospital operations and BCFS EMD’s Incident Management Team (IMT) members assumed key roles in logistics, plans and operations. The agency’s medical team also took on critical roles managing the emergency department. The BCFS EMD IMT began operating two 12-hour shifts and producing daily incident action plans, providing medical staff – most of whom were American volunteers from around the U.S. – with better situational awareness and short- and long-term goals. At the conclusion of the ‘A’ shift briefing – just 36 hours after implementing ICS – staff reported no unmet needs.

Aftershocks as strong as 4.7 continued to set off panic. Patients leapt off their hospital beds with IVs still attached to their arms and mothers grabbed their newborn infants from the pediatric ward and ran outside in the middle of the night fearing that the buildings might collapse. One strong aftershock that struck at 1:30 a.m. prompted two expectant mothers to flee from the labor and delivery ward. BCFS EMD’s IMT and medical staff quickly acquired the necessary resources to accommodate the delivery of two new babies under a makeshift tarp set up on the grounds of the hospital. During the response, BCFS EMD became an integral component of the management team that cared for more than 250 inpatients and an average of 300 outpatients daily.